August - Activity Director Today

Transcription

E-magazine of Activity Director Today Website / http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com
Volume 03 Number 08
Providing Online Resources for Activity Professionals
Making Child's Play Out of Staying Fit
(ARA) - When you were a kid, you
probably did a little hula hooping
during gym class. Back then you
may have thought it was all fun
and games and maybe a bit silly
but turns out your gym teacher
was on to something.
fits, helping tone muscles, burning
fat and calories and facilitating
weight loss.
asked if I'd be interested in recording a training session and I
said, 'Why not!'" she says.
The video she put together features
a 25-minute workout class people
can do with their hoops. Here are
the step-by-step instructions for
getting started:
1) Find enough space around.
Keep your feet one foot wide. Relax your knees, waist and body.
All the twisting and turning you
do to keep the hoop from falling
gives you a full body workout. In
fact, according to the Cooper Institute, a nonprofit research and
education center, one minute of
hula hooping burns as many calories as running an eight-minute
mile or taking part in a high impact aerobic class.
2) Relax your elbows. Lift the
hoop and place it tightly against
the back of your waist.
3) Grasp the hoop and keep it in a
horizontal position before swinging out. Do not position the hoop
at a tilt.
"Add a little weight to the hoop
and you can incorporate strength
training into your workout as
well," says Rosemary Torres, a
personal trainer from LaPuente,
Calif. She added a weighted hoop
to the routine she does with clients about a year ago -- after doing some research online to come
up with fun new ways to get her
clients excited about fitness.
"Hula hooping really appealed to
me. It brought me down memory
lane," she says. "I loved doing it as
a child, but back then didn't realize
it was an activity that was good for
me." So good, in fact, that when
swiveled for 15 to 20 minutes at a
time, which Torres says she easily
does at least once of twice daily,
she's getting cardiovascular bene-
August 2007
4) Horizontally swing out the
hoop against your waist, fast and
powerfully. Move your waist immediately.
5) Move your waist in a circular
motion, all around pressing
against the hoop.
Want to learn how to hoop for
health? You can pick up a copy of
the video Rosemary did for the
company she purchases her hoops
from -- California Sports Hoops,
Inc. "When I went down to their
headquarters about a year ago, I
wasn't looking for a job. I just
wanted to purchase a bunch of
hoops, but when they saw how excited I was about their product, they
6) Keep your motion fast enough
to match the circulation speed of
the hoop for it to stay up on your
waist.
You can find Sports Hoop products
at Sports Authority stores nationwide. For more information about
their uses and health benefits, visit
www.sports-hoop.com or call tollfree (866) 700-5668.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Activity Director Today
Page 2
Activities You Can Do
Dear Activity Professional,
Picnic! That’s what I think
about when it comes to August.
The residents love to get outside,
smell the burgers, hot dogs and
brats cooking on the barbeque
grill. Eating fresh tomatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe and all those
garden goodies made into salads.
Ice cream, snow cones, lemonade,
iced tea all help to make August a
memorable month.
Get the other departments
interested in your picnic and don’t
forget families and volunteers. A
staff carry-in (also families and
volunteers) helps to make the picnic easier. Assign residents to
staff members and let them carry
trays to them. Residents who are
ambulatory will enjoy selecting
their own food from the buffet.
How about including music? You can either play cd’s or
(my favorite) invite some live entertainment to provide a little
luncheon music.
Any way you do it, the
residents are sure to love it. I
know I would.
Best wishes,
Linda Lucas
Linda Lucas:
Linda is the
owner of Activity
Director Today
website. She has
been an Activity
Professional
since 1983.
Readers may contact Linda at:
[email protected]
Vol. 03, No. 08
By Linda Lucas, AD, Site Owner: Activity Director Today
http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com
Often art and crafts ideas for children are also good for senior adults.
Here are two interesting crafts from
Family.com (http://family.go.com/
entertainment/ms-crafts-hobbies/?
CMP=KNC-GoogFamily).
Make It a Clay Day
This popular recipe produces a soft and
cooperative clay that can be used over
and over again and will remain pliant
for weeks.
Tips
This recipe's long drying time makes it
most satisfying as a play dough (it's
easy to roll into ropes and balls), but
sculptures will dry eventually. If stored
in an airtight container, this dough will
last, refrigerated or unrefrigerated, for
2 to 4 weeks.
Prep Time: Under 1 hour
What you need:
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
• Food coloring, optional
Seasons: Evening, Fall, Rainy day,
Winter, Year-round
Materials: Food items
Instructions:
1. Mix all ingredients together in a
saucepan and cook over medium heat
until the mixture holds together (keep
mixing or it will stick to the bottom of
the pan).
2. When the clay is cool enough to
touch, your child can knead it on a
floured board.
Crafting Paper Bowls
Learn about the process of papermaking -- an art that dates back more than
4,000 years -- with this step-by-step
project that recycles pieces of ordinary
paper into a decorative catchall for
your desk or bureau.
Prep Time: Weekend Project
What You Need:
Construction paper (Two sheets of the
same color and several sheets in varying colors)
• 1 Sheet of newspaper
• Blender
• Warm water
• Colander and pan
• Paper towels
• Vegetable oil
• Round kitchen sieve (ours was 6
inches in diameter)
• Large bowl
Seasons: Year-round
Materials: Construction paper
Instructions:
1. Tear the two sheets of same-colored
construction paper and the newspaper
into 1-inch squares. Put all the pieces
in a blender, then fill it three quarters
full with warm water. Blend the ingredients on medium speed for a few minutes or until it forms a pulpy mixture,
also known as "slurry."
2. Set the colander over the pan, then
pour in the slurry. Let it drain for about
10 minutes. Meanwhile, use a paper
towel to apply a light coating of vegetable oil to the inside of a round
kitchen sieve. This will help the finished paper bowl come off the screen
more easily.
3. Tear the remaining construction paper into small pieces for decorating the
outside of the bowl. Dip each piece in
water, then place it along the inside of
the sieve.
4. With your fingers, scoop and mold a
thick, even layer of slurry along the
inside of the sieve, covering the decorative paper pattern. Gently press the
slurry against the sieve to squeeze out
any excess water. If you like, place a
few more decorative pieces of construction paper along the inside of the
bowl. Set the sieve over a large bowl to
dry completely (about 48 hours), then
carefully remove the paper bowl from
the sieve.
AUGUST 2007
Page 3
Bob’s Journal
By Rev. Robert Lucas, B.A., H.F.A. (retired)
Executive Director, Activity Director Today
Resident Shopping and More
At Activity Director Today we
have discussed whether or not to
use advertising. The final decision
was to include it in the magazine
and on the website.
The reason for our decision
was pretty simple. Activity Director Today has always been working to become the central hub for
free online resources for Activity
Professionals. Part of those resources include product location.
We want to provide everything we
can to help Activity Professionals
effectively operate their departments. If that means providing advertising links to excellent products, then that’s what we will do.
We have partnered ourselves with several companies
which provide quality products for
seniors. You will find a complete
list of our product resources on the
Activity Director Today website at
http://
www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com
/ProductPageAFF.html
The Resident Shopping and More
page features items for your residents such as adaptive clothing,
footwear and accessories. This
page also offers essentials for the
Activity Department such as calendars, inservices, care plans and
manuals. Other items featured on
the page include low-impact exercise equipment for seniors, party
and theme supplies, craft supplies
and other items.
I think my favorite item is
the Resistance Chair from Continuing Fitness. I finally faced the
truth. I am a retired, sedentary fat
man who rarely exercises. Linda
and I live in a two-bedroom senior
apartment. We have no room for
bulky exercise equipment (we’d
never use it anyway). When I heard
about the Resistance Chair I went
to their webpage to investigate. I
was sold on it, but Linda was hesitant. Then, I ordered it. And, it
was like it was sent from heaven.
The chair looks like a folding chair on steroids. However, it
is not any larger. It is comfortable
sitting. The exercises are simple
and easy. Best of all...it works.
And, the Resistance Chair is inexpensive at $239.70.
Also, I discovered that Continuing Fitness sold Resistance
Chairs to many senior centers, assisted living centers, health care
centers, gyms (including Gold’s
Gym). They have a special offer if
you buy four or more.
I rarely get excited about a
product; and I have never written a
review of one. But the Resistance
Chair takes the cake. I highly recommend it for your Activity Department. It’s inexpensive and it
works. As you know, any amount
of exercise is excellent for your
residents. - END
About Bob
Robert Lucas is a retired Nursing Home
Administrator and is married to Linda Lucas, a retired Activity Director. Bob has a
B.A. degree in Ministry and is an ordained
minister. He has served the elderly community more than 35 years. His many talents include portrait artist, musician, writer
and website designer (learned after his
retirement).
Featuring Adaptive Clothing, Footwear and Accessories for Residents
Also: Calendars, Inservices, Care Plans and Manuals
for the Activity Department
Having a special place in his heart for Activity Professionals, Bob began building
The Activity Director’s Office website.
His goal was to create a hub on the Internet
where Activity Professionals could find
meaningful and current resources. That
goal has been achieved and continues
growing yet today.
Everything for you and your residents
http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/ProductPageAFF.html
For more information visit the website at:
http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/
ADO_Beginnings.html
Introducing...
Vol. 03, No. 08
AUGUST 2007
Page 4
Current Activities in LTC
By Kate Lynch, Editor
Current Activities in Longterm Care
http://www.activities4elders.com/
Clay Flowers for Someone Special
Up to five persons
Research has shown that working
with clay helps promote independence in activities of daily life in elderly persons with mental disabilities.
Here is a simple clay modeling activity that gives participants an opportunity to honor with a special
gift someone who has particular
significance in their life.
Encourage participants to work
their small dough until soft,
and to roll it flat to approximately half-inch thickness.
Current Activities in
Longterm Care
is a bi-monthly magazine that provides
useful activities, calendars, therapeutic
activities and programs, feature stories,
specialized activities for Alzheimer's
patients and other disease conditions,
professional news, medical news and
much more!
If You Subscribe to Current Activities in Longterm Care
Here’s what you get:
Invite participants to cut their
flower.
•
Allow for the necessary time
for the clay flowers to dry out,
and have participants paint
their gift.
•
•
•
•
Therapeutic Benefits
§ Enhances fine motor skills.
§ Improves hand-eye coordination.
§ Promotes relaxation.
§ Improves concentration.
What You Need
§ Self-hardening, non-toxic
clay.
§ Modeling tools.
§ Flower-shaped cookie cutters.
§ Tempera paints.
§ Brushes.
§ Ribbon.
§ Wrapping paper.
Note: If flower-shaped
cookie cutters are not available, participants can use a
big round cutter for what
will be the central part of
the flower, and a small
round cutter for the petals.
What to Do
Break the clay dough into as
many pieces as participants,
and distribute them among the
elders.
Vol. 03, No. 08
Next, invite the elders to use
paper and ribbon to wrap their
gifts.
Variance: This activity can be
modified into a Valentine-themed
activity. Simply use heart-shaped
cutters and red paint to prepare valentines, to be used on Valentine’s
Day as a decoration for the tables of
the dining room.
Tip: Depending on the clay drying
time, it may be worthwhile to plan a
further session during which participants paint the flowers.
For more activities such as this,
check out Research-Based PersonCentered Therapeutic Activities, by
Lorena Tonarelli, M.Sc. Sold at
www.care4elders.com.
Want more Alzheimer Activities? Subscribe to Current
Activities today and download
them from Activity-Pro!
•
•
•
•
A large section on activities for all
stages of Alzheimer’s residents!
A section just on Men’s
Activities!
Plus FREE Internet Access for:
A special current calendar of activities for all stages of Alzheimer’s!
A downloadable monthly events
calendar that into which you can
type your own activities!
Internet archives with all kinds of
additional unique activities, including more Men’s activities!
Live chat online help with specific
activity situations!
Professional news, including ongoing updates on changes in CMS
Guidelines!
All our activities are presented in
helpful, step-by-step instructions
format; a real time-saver for you,
your staff and considerable help
for your volunteers!
Only $49.00!!
Order Now!
To order yours today:
PHONE: 1-800-354-3371
FAX: 319-553-0644
MAIL: Freiberg Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 612
Cedar Falls, IA 50613
ONLINE: http://
www.activities4elders.com/
Email: [email protected]
AUGUST 2007
Page 5
DH Special Services
By Debbie Hommel, BA, ACC, CTRS
Executive Director of DH Special Services
http://www.dhspecialservices.com/home.htm
Progress Note Basics
by Debbie Hommel, ACC, CTRS
Documenting resident/client response to interventions is an integral part of the care planning process. This review of progress is
known as a progress note. There
are many regional variations as to
how often, where and what should
be documented. Most nursing
homes document review of the care
plan on a quarterly basis, in coordination with the MDS Quarterly.
Most medical day care centers also
adopt a quarterly time frame. Facility policy should define specific
practice as to the timing, means and
method of reviewing the care plan.
The activity professional
should rely on professional standards to guide appropriate content.
It is also important to keep in mind
- the purpose of the progress note,
which is to document how the resident/client is responding to care and
treatment. The following areas may
be included within any routine review of progress:
*Reassess resident/client for change
in functioning compared to original
assessment or last review. Has the
resident/client improved or declined
in functioning?
• Review resident/client participation within the activity program. Focusing on responses to
activities and behavior within
the programs is encouraged.
• Review response to any specific
interventions, such as room visits, sensory programs or specialVol. 03, No. 08
•
ized activities for special needs.
Again, we want to focus on how
they are responding to the interventions, rather than simply
stating interventions were offered.
Note any barriers to implementation such as resident/client
refusal or unavailability.
In addition to professional
standards which guide our profession, the activity professional who
works in nursing homes needs to
reference the guidance for F-248
which indicates the care plan revision should include:
1. Changes in the resident’s abilities, interests, or health; A determination that some aspects of
the current care plan were unsuccessful (e.g., goals were not being met);
2. The resident refuses, resists, or
complains about some chosen
activities;
3. Changes in time of year have
made some activities no longer
possible (e.g., gardening outside
in winter) and other activities
have become available; andNew
activity offerings have been
added to the facility’s available
activity choices. For the resident
who refused some or all activities, determine if the facility
worked with the resident (or representative, as appropriate) to
identify and address underlying
reasons and offer alternatives.
Interdisciplinary Notes vs.
Department Specific Notes vs.
Episodic Notes
Regionally, there are various practices for documenting progress. In
many states, the interdisciplinary
team note is a popular and effective
practice. The team note is a collaborative note, which includes information from each care plan team
member. It reflects information
from all disciplines and gives a
complete picture of the resident/
client's progress. The team note
documents a more integrated picture of the resident/client and minimizes repetitive information found
in each disciplines entry.
In some locations, separate
progress notes are entered by each
discipline. The individual professionals document progress from
their perspective. Separate notes
allow for a thorough review of progress in each area, however sometimes provides overlapping information.
(Continued on page 11)
ABOUT DEBBIE
Debbie Hommel is a Certified Activity
Consultant on State and National level,
with over twenty-seven years of
experience in providing direct care
and consultation to long term care, medical
day care, assisted living,
and ICF/MR facilities throughout
New Jersey, New York, Maryland,
and Pennsylvania.
She is an experienced trainer and workshop presenter, conducting a
variety of seminars throughout the
Tri-State area for the Activity
Professional, Administrator, and allied
healthcare professional. She is ACC certified through the NCCAP.
AUGUST 2007
Page 6
Alternative Solutions in LTC
By Sandra Stimson ADC, CALA, CDP
Executive Director, Alternative Solutions in Long Term Care
http://www.activitytherapy.com
Support Groups are a necessity.
There is a place in the Activity Calendar
Sandra Stimson CALA, ADC, CDP
There are several kinds of support
groups that are held in long term
care facilities. One that benefits the
caregivers who provide care in the
home, another is to support the residents living in healthcare facilities
and finally the support group for
families with loved ones residing in
a health care facility. A variety of
support groups should be offered. A
social worker was overheard stating, “we don’t offer support groups
because my residents and families
don’t need it!) Support groups offer support, provide education and
comma dare.
Support groups should be offered to
residents, families and community
on a monthly basis. It is strongly
recommended that families and
residents not attend the community
support groups. One big reason is
that families have different issues
and concerns vs community care
givers. Family caregivers have ongoing issues related to the facility
care, clothing, medications and discharge. Families of loved ones providing care in their home have a
whole range of different issues.
You don’t want issues that families
have, aired in a community support
group and that information taken
back to the community.
Residents should have their own
support group. For example, it is
imperative to have discussions and
Vol. 03, No. 08
information about dementia. They
have many issues to contend with
such as wanderers coming into their
space, dealing with disruptive behaviors and communication issues.
They need the same kind of education as the families and the community. Because most long term care
settings now have 60 to 80 percent
dementia, it is imperative that the
residents have support groups. Another topic could be developing self
esteem in the elderly or adjusting
with nursing home placement.
Depending on the needs of the
group, the support group may meet
monthly or more often as needed.
The group sessions should be about
1 hour. If you are providing food,
you may want the meeting to run a
little longer.
The facilitator should plan for a
speaker several times a year to address specific questions, issues and
concerns. A speaker can be someone with an agency, association,
hospital speaker’s bureau, department head and of course the social
worker.
You don’t want your support group
to turn toxic which can happen for
many reasons. One common reason
is a participant who does all the
talking. It is best to address this
head on and utilize a timer. They
can speak when they have the timer
as it’s important to hear from everyone. Make sure to explain the rules
of the timer or hour glass. If someone is running on too long, simply
say, “Thank you for your input but
we need to move on and hear from
everyone. Allow time for the members to respond to their questions or
concerns. Remember, you don’t
have to have the answers to everything. Let the group provide input
as they many ideas and suggestions.
Be sure to advertise the date and
location of the resident support
group on the monthly calendar, facility newsletter and on the bulletin
boards.
A nice touch is to provide a journal
to the residents who attend the support group meeting as they may
ABOUT SANDRA
Sandra Stimson has experience as a corporate consultant, Corporate Trainer and National Speaker. Her experience is in long
term care, as Activity Director, Director of
Alzheimer's Units and Assistant Administrator of a 550 bed long term care county
home. She is Co-founder of Pet Express
Pet Therapy Club, is a Life Replay Specialist. Sandra implements dementia units
nationwide. Sandra has written several
books, Volunteer Management Essentials
for Long Term Care and Pet Express Pet
Therapy Program. Sandra has been a facilitator for Alzheimer's support groups and is
the Awards Chair for the NJ Association of
Activity Professionals. Sandra is the Executive Director of National Council of
Certified Dementia Practitioners
http://www.nccdp.org
http://www.activitytherapy.com offers resources for health care professionals in
many areas of dementia care, care plans,
Snoezelen products, dementia activity calendars, adult day care calendars, sensory
calendars, reminisce videos for dementia,
activity books, and dates to remember,
party supplies, resources and links.
AUGUST 2007
Page 7
Re-Creative Resources
By Kimberly Grandal, CTRS, ACC, Executive Director
http://www.recreativeresources.com/
Top 10 Questions About the CTRS
By Kimberly Grandal, CTRS, ACC
Many professionals ask me about
the CTRS, how to get certified, and
the role of the CTRS in long-term
care. The following are some commonly asked questions:
Yes, all CTRS candidates must
complete 50 hours of continuing
education every 5 years to maintain
certification (plus experience or retake the exam).
What is a CTRS?
What is the name of the
certifying body for the CTRS?
CTRS stands for Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist.
What type of education is
required to become a CTRS?
NCTRC (National Council for
Therapeutic Recreation Certification)
Where does a CTRS work?
Required education includes a BA
in TR or recreation with specific
coursework or a BA accredited
school with specific coursework.
Is an internship required?
Yes, the academic path requires an
internship of 480 hours.
Do I have to take a
national exam?
Yes, all CTRS candidates must pass
the national exam.
The CTRS is qualified to work in
long-term care, sub-acute, adult day
care, assisted living, residential,
CCRC’s, group homes, rehabilitation facilities, hospitals, school systems, behavioral health centers,
substance abuse facilities, jails, and
vocational facilities. The CTRS can
work with any special population.
What is the difference between
a CTRS and an
Activity Professional?
Are there continuing education
requirements for the CTRS?
Many leisure professionals feel that
there is controversy in defining the
differences between the CTRS and
an Activity Professional, especially
in long-term care. There are those
who feel that the line is clearly
drawn between the two while others
state that the roles are very similar.
It is my belief that Recreation
Therapists and Activity Professionals can and should work together in
Vol. 03, No. 08
Is there an alternate path
to becoming a CTRS?
Yes, there is an equivalency path
which requires varying years of
paid full-time experience in TR,
education, additional TR coursework, and exam.
the provision of Recreation Therapy
and Activity Therapy services to
enhance and support the physical,
emotional, behavioral, and cognitive well-being of the individuals
they serve. Both are equally important, especially in long-term care,
and greatly compliment and enhance each other. With that being
said, here are some general differences. Please note: These differences are not endorsed by ATRA,
NTRS, NCTRC, NAAP, NCCAP,
or any other organization.
Education and Training
The CTRS is required to a have a
bachelor’s degree. He/she receives
extensive education and training in
therapeutic recreation services,
clinical/diagnostic information,
treatment modalities, working with
special populations, leisure education and much more. The curriculum includes taking challenging
courses such as Anatomy and
About Kimberly
Ms. Kimberly Grandal, Founder and Executive Director of Re-Creative Resources,
Inc., is a strong advocate for the field of
Therapeutic Recreation, with over fifteen
years of experience working with the elderly in numerous administrative and consultant positions. She is an Activity Consultant Certified by the National Certification Council for Activity Professionals
(NCCAP), and a Certified Therapeutic
Recreation Specialist by the National
Council of Therapeutic Recreation
Certification
Ms. Grandal is a recipient of the Kessler
Institute of Rehabilitation 1997 Triumph of
the Human Spirit Award. She is a speaker
for various state and local activity associations, colleges, and community groups, and
provides educational workshops and consultation to long-term care facilities
in New Jersey.
AUGUST 2007
Page 8
National Association of Activity Professionals (NAAP)
National Association of Activity Professionals
“Founded by Activity Professionals for Activity Professional”
http://www.thenaap.com
Mission Statement: To provide excellence in support services to activity
professionals through education, advocacy, technical assistance, promotion of
standards, fostering of research, and peer and industry relations
Recreational Music Making
Troy L. Lott, ADC
NAAP Membership Trustee
Residents in Nursing Facilities still
have the want and the desire to
make music. Some Residents may
have only one hand or may not hear
very well. With this new program
that has been developed to assist
Residents in any Facility they can
learn how to play the piano or other
instruments.
Recreational Music Making
(RMM) was developed by a piano
teacher who had the vision to see
that Resident’s can still learn how
to play the piano. The class is for
eight weeks and the cost is around
About NAAP
Founded by Activity Professionals for Activity Professionals...NAAP is the only
national group that represents activity professionals in geriatric settings exclusively.
NAAP serves as a catalyst for both professional and personal growth and has come
to be recognized by government officials
as the voice of the activity profession on
national issues concerning long-term care
facilities, retirement living, assisted living,
adult day services, and senior citizen centers. NAAP is nationwide in scope with a
growing membership in Canada and Bermuda. The National Association of Activity Professionals recognizes the following
values:The quality of life of the client/
resident/participant/patient served is the
Vol. 03, No. 08
$11.00 a person per week (your
area may be less or more) with the
instruction booklet costing $15.00
plus shipping and handling. The
program is in a very stress free environment.
A facility in Columbia, TN is starting their first class in July. The Activity Director mentioned this idea
to his Residents at the June Resident Council Meeting and three
Residents signed up for this new
program. The booklet and CD if
you choose to buy it are very user
friendly. With songs like “Old
McDonald”, the booklet and CD
takes you through each step; which
keys to play, tempo and timing.
The facility in TN changed the
name of Recreational Music Making to “Residents Making Music”.
Here are a few quotes of people
who have taken the course:
•
“I like that starting piano as an
adult is fun and you can still
learn how to play”.
•
“I liked the fact that I was able
to play and read simple songs so
quickly”.
•
“I liked that ‘a-ha’ moment
when I could read music- also
that sense of achievement when
primary reason for our services. The
strength of NAAP lies in the diversity of
its members. NAAP recognizes the rich
cultural, and educational backgrounds of
its members and values the variety of resources represented. The strength of
NAAP also lies in the development and
promotion of scientific research which
further defines and supports the activity
profession. NAAP values the development
and maintenance of coalitions with organizations whose mission is similar to that of
NAAP's for the purposes of advocacy, research, education, and promotion of activity services and activity professionals.
NAAP values members who become involved at the state and national level to
promote professional standards as well as
encourage employers to recognize them as
professionals. NAAP affords Activity Pro-
fessionals across the country the opportunity to speak with a common
voice...NAAP successfully worked with
members of Congress to secure a change in
the nursing home reform title of the 1987
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
(OBRA). Through our efforts, it became
mandatory that an activity program, directed by a qualified professional, be provided in every nursing home that receives
Medicare and/or Medicaid funds. NAAP
was the only professional activity association to participate in HCFA's workgroups
that revised OBRA's interpretive guidelines now in effect. NAAP provides assistance at the state level to promote certification of activity professionals, working toward uniform professional standards for
activity practice.
AUGUST 2007
Page 9
NAAP MEMBERSHIP...WHY NOT JOIN NAAP TODAY?
There are so many benefits when you belong to NAAP! Each member will receive a newsletter which will give the updated
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(Music Making—Continued from page 8)
(Support Groups - Continued from page 6)
I could play my first piece of
music”.
•
“This became a new avenue or
adventure for my brain and I
want to continue”.
Please talk with your Residents to
see if they may be interested in
learning how to play the piano.
Check with your local music stores
or schools to see if you can find
someone who would be willing to
assist your Resident’s dreams come
true by learning how to play the
piano.—END
wish to take notes or write down
their thoughts. Always thank the
residents for coming as it takes a lot
to bare your soul.
Support groups should be planned
and advertised at times convenient
to the group you are hoping to
serve. For example, elderly care
givers would prefer a midweek
early afternoon as many don’t want
to drive at night. A light lunch
should be offered. Younger care
givers might want an evening support group due to commitments of
family and work. A light dinner
should also be offered. For your
community support groups you
should advertise in the local paper,
local tv stations, office on aging
and with the Alzheimer’s association. There are many care giver
wed sites you may wish to also post
Introducing...
Vol. 03, No. 08
your monthly meetings. Try to always keep the meeting dates the
same, for example, the 3rd Thursday of the month.
The facility should offer support
groups for families of loved ones
living on the dementia units. These
can be held monthly or quarterly.
Let your families vote on how often
they wish to meet. You should plan
the dates of the meetings and the
topics to be discussed a year in advance. It is recommend that by the
1st week in January you have
posted the dates of the meeting.
Families should not bring their
loved ones to the meeting as this
can impede the flow of the discussion. Always provide a fact sheet
on the topic to be discussed. Allow
time for the speaker and time for
the families to speak and ask questions.
There are an endless list of topics
that can be discussed at the community support groups and your resident and family support group. The
Alzheimer’s Association
www.alz.org has free fact sheets.
These should be downloaded and
kept in your library. Always provide a fact sheet of the topic you
AUGUST 2007
Page 10
National Certification Council of Activity Professionals
The NCCAP
http://www.nccap.org
Mission Statement: The National Certification Council of Activity Professionals is a credentialing body,
which sets standards and criteria to ensure that those we
serve have optimal life experiences
You Will Get Old Get Ready For It!
Debbie Bailey, ACC
NCCAP Vice-President
Many may think that once a resident has entered a retirement community that they have made adequate preparations for their future.
So often that is not the case. There
have been large numbers of folks
who have passed through our residences who have no idea what they
want to do with the rest of their
lives and have no plan as to how to
go about addressing the variety of
issues associated with aging. At our
particular community, we have a
resident named Martha Simons
(named used by permission) who
Why Become
NCCAP Certified?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Federal Law, OBRA, states that an
activity department must be directed
by a “qualified professional.” One of
the ways to become qualified is to
become a Certified Activity Professional.
NCCAP certification is recognized by
HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration) as an organization that
certifies activity professionals who
work specifically with the elderly.
NCCAP certification assures administrators and surveyors that you have
met certain professional standards to
become certified.
Many administrators will only hire
activity professionals who are already
Vol. 03, No. 08
has made the preparations necessary for her passing.
Her family will be grateful for all
the thoughtful plans she has made.
We are grateful for her generosity
in sharing her wisdom that I will
now pass on. Martha has been invited to share this information at
her church for those in her Sunday
school class. What a great outreach!
It is information that we, as Activity Directors, need to put into place,
also. It is never too soon to start
planning for our future.
Martha is eighty-five years old and
she is the most contented she has
ever been in her life - not because
she had a "bad" life, but because
she has her life in order. She enjoys
5.
6.
certified.
Some administrators offer a higher
salary to a certified professional.
Become NCCAP certified so others
will know that you are nationally
qualified and giving quality activity
service to residents/clients.
QUALIFICATION DESCRIPTION:
A. ACADEMIC EDUCATION May
derive from a wide variety of curricula: Social Work, Recreation, Education, and Business degrees. These are
a few of the educational backgrounds
that represent our certified members.
B. ACTIVITY EXPERIENCE Activity work experience with elderly populations, where at least 50% are 55+
years of age. Some volunteer work
with elderly clients may be applied.
C. CONTINUING EDUCATION Current education (within past 5 years):
good health, good support from
family and friends, engaged activity, financial stability, and in all
ways she feels safe and secure.
None of these things are an accident
or the result of luck. Rather, she has
planned well, has made the choice
to be content.
Those whom we serve are often our
richest sources for guidance. As we
all know, the reverse can be true
also. So, this article will offer some
tips from Martha that, taken seriously, will be a guide for facing old
age. As Martha succinctly states,
"You will get old - get ready for it!"
There are seven suggestions that all
of us would be wise to heed:
workshops, seminars, college courses
that keep the activity professional
abreast of present trends. NCCAP's
Body of Knowledge contains 27 areas
of education with many subheadings
that are applicable.
D. CONSULTING EXPERIENCE May
include: advising a group, working
one to one, teaching a class, conducting workshops, publishing professional articles, supervising students
and/or managing 5 or more activity
staff persons.
FEES: The cost of being certified initially
ranges from $45 to $65 depending upon
the level. Renewal is required every two
years with 20-40 hours of continuing education and a fee of $40.
For further information visit
http://www.nccap.org
AUGUST 2007
Page 11
Monthly Observances
For activity idea nuggets visit us at:
http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/ActPlannerIntro.html
MONTHLY
OBSERVANCES
FAMOUS WEEKS
IN AUGUST
Harvest Month
Week 1
National Eye Exam Month
International Clown Week
National Romance
Awareness Month
Man-watcher's Compliment
Week
Cataract Awareness Month
National Smile Week
(Begins 1st Monday)
Fair Month
Beauty Queen Week
International Clown Month
Week 2
Lemon Month
National Apple Week
Maine Lobster Month
National Catfish Month
National Psychiatric
Technician Week
National Foot Health Month
Week 3
National Golf Month
Weird Contest Week
National Heritage Month
Week 4
National Mustard Month
Friendship Week
National Parks Month
There are no national
holidays in August
(Progress Note Basics—Continued from page 5)
The same information
would be entered in either note, depending on your facility practice.
The discussion of levels of participation, response to interventions,
barriers encountered and outcomes
noted could be entered in either the
team note or the activity based progress note. Federal regulations do
not mandate department specific
progress notes, as long as a discussion of progress and participation is
noted somewhere in the chart.
Again, facility policy and procedure
would define where the note is entered.
Episodic Notes, also known
as Incident Charting, Focused
Notes, or Clinical Entries, are notes
entered in response to an event or
incident. The note is entered when
the incident occurs and focuses on
facts and issues related to the incident. Episodic notes should include
enough information (such as what
the incident was, what the caregiver
did in response to the incident, who
was informed of the incident, and if
the care plan needs to be adjusted)
to cover the incident adequately.
Progress notes are an important part of the therapeutic process.
They provide on-going information
regarding resident/client status, progress and participation in life of the
facility. They ensure continuity of
care and justification for care and
services provided. –END
Peach Month
Relaxation Month
Watermelon Month
Vol. 03, No. 08
AUGUST 2007
Page 12
Clipart for the Month
Vol. 03, No. 08
AUGUST 2007
(You Will Get Old—Continued from page 10)
1. Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Exercise.
2. Consume a healthy diet.
3. Follow your doctor's orders, including being responsible to take
medicines as directed.
4. Remain social, as this as an aid to
maintaining good mental health.
5. Whatever stimulated your brain
is a wise choice: studying genealogy, doing crossword puzzles, playing bridge, Bible study, etc.
6. Preserve financial resources and
avoid debt. If you have a marriage
partner, make decisions that affect
your future together. Information
about where important papers are
located needs to be known by the
appropriate people. Some of these
documents include: wills, bank accounts, insurance policies, car titles,
deeds to property, and anything else
of value.
7. Foster and maintain good family
relationships.
Team Challenge
By Debbie Bailey, ACC
Everyone who can proudly state
that they are NCCAP certified is a
member of a very extraordinary
team. We can all agree that the
more professionals we can attract to
become a part of this exceptional
group, the more assurance we have
that resident needs are being capably addressed.
I think that we all agree the more
exposure and education that can be
distributed, the better. Getting the
word disseminated requires a major
effort. Sending information to administrators and other activity departments is something we need to
Vol. 03, No. 08
Page 13
diligently pursue. The NCCAP office does not have the personnel
resources to convert new large address lists to mailing label lists.
That's why I am calling on our
NCCAP team to join forces in order
to start a more global process.
Available to all who make inquiries
via the internet is a state listing of
retirement communities. The lists
are large. The practical thing to do
is to target the larger cities and print
the list. From that list, a project can
be developed to format the addresses on to mailing labels for
NCCAP. Sounds like a daunting
task? It is.
I have several suggestions on how
to approach this project. If you
agree this is something that is
worthwhile, commit to participate
in obtaining the state lists developed for the NCCAP office. I suggest that all NCCAP state representatives make it their personal goal
to have this accomplished by early
2007. For states with no representatives, volunteer to do it now! Discuss it at professional activity meetings and propose the most effective
way to distribute the responsibilities
to make
this happen.
As the representative for the state of
Colorado, let me share my plan. We
have some very computer-literate
residents living in our community. I
will print out the addresses to input
as address labels. They will save
this information on a CD. We will
format the addresses to fit a universal label. My suggestion is to use
the shipping labels by AVERY, for
laser printers, the number is 5263,
and the template for smooth feed
sheets, use template 5163. Once
this is completed, the disc will then
be sent to the NCCAP office for
applicable use. This would be a tremendous resource for the office to
be able to draw upon and the potential for our certified team to grow is
certain. The more we are able to
educate others about our activity
certification opportunities and
benefits, the more assured we can
be we are the best we can be! That
will be real progress! - END
(Top 10 Questions—Continued from page 7)
Physiology. Recreation Therapy
students can choose various areas
of studies such as geriatrics, pediatrics, individuals with developmental disabilities, behavioral health,
rehabilitation, etc. Training consists
of a 480 hour internship, under the
direction of a CTRS and can be
done in a variety of settings as well.
As of January 2007, all Activity
Professionals who wish to become
certified through the National Certification Council of Activity Professionals (NCCAP) as an Activity
Director or Activity Consultant are
required to take the Modular Education Program for Activity Professionals, 2nd Edition (MEPAP 2nd
Edition) which includes 180 hours
of classroom time plus 180 hours
practicum working with the elderly.
The MEPAP course has really
evolved over the years and is specially designed to educate individuals who work with the elderly. The
course has an extensive curriculum
which includes the aging process,
the assessment process, planning,
AUGUST 2007
facilitation techniques, care planning, evaluation, as well as management issues specifically related
to working in geriatric facilities.
Populations Served
The CTRS can work with any special population whereas Activity
Professionals generally work with
the elderly in various health care
settings.
Services Rendered
Throughout my career in Therapeutic Recreation, I have followed The
National Therapeutic Recreation
Society’s (NTRS) definition of
Therapeutic Recreation which
states: “Therapeutic recreation uses
treatment, education and recreation
services to help people with illnesses, disabilities and other conditions to develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their
health, functional abilities, independence and quality of life.” This
definition is based on Peterson and
Gunn’s Therapeutic Recreation Service Model. The three components
consist of: treatment, leisure education and recreation participation
(Peterson & Gunn, 1984)
Activity Professionals and CTRSs
provide the recreation participation
component of this model, providing
activities for fun and enjoyment.
It’s not to say that these activities
are not therapeutic, because we
know that they most certainly are.
Activity Professionals and CTRSs
provide a variety of therapeutic activities that are designed to meet the
needs and interests of the individuals they serve. Activity Professionals and CTRSs utilize the APIE
process of assessment, planning,
Vol. 03, No. 08
Page 14
implementation and evaluation.
Both professionals specialize in
breaking down the barriers to leisure pursuits to provide opportunity
for residents and patients to participate in their favorite past times at
their highest practical level. Activity interventions are present in the
resident’s comprehensive care plan
and play a significant role in the
quality of life and care of each resident.
According to the Manual for Recreation Therapy in Long Term Care
Facilities, 2nd Edition by NTRS, the
leisure education and treatment
components of the Therapeutic
Recreation Service Model are provided by the CTRS. Peterson and
Gunn define leisure education as:
“A broad category of services that
focuses on the development and
acquisition of various leisurerelated skills, attitudes, and knowledge.” (Peterson and Gunn, 1984).
Peterson and Gunn’s Leisure Education Content Model consists of:
leisure awareness, social interaction
skills, leisure resources, and leisure
activity skills. The CTRS receives a
lot of training in this area and play
an important role in enhancing current skills, assisting with the development of daily living skills and
community integration.
The third component of The Therapeutic Recreation Service Model is
recreation therapy which is designed to restore or rehabilitate. It is
a specific, prescriptive, medically
ordered, planned treatment process,
which is provided by a CTRS and is
recognized by CMS, JCAHO, and
CARF. In July 1998, CMS
(formerly HCFA) added section
T1a Special Treatments, to the
MDS 2.0. The CMS RAI Version
2.0 Manual defines recreation therapy as: “Therapy ordered by a physician that provides therapeutic
stimulation beyond the general activity program in a facility. The
physician’s order must include a
statement of frequency, duration,
and scope of the treatment. Such
therapy must be provided by a state
licensed or nationally certified
Therapeutic Recreation Specialist
or Therapeutic Recreation Assistant. The Therapeutic Recreation
Assistant must work under the direction of a Therapeutic Recreation
Specialist”. The scope of treatment
includes: social, physical, affective
and cognitive.
What is the role of the CTRS in
long-term care?
The CTRS utilizes his/her clinical,
assessment, facilitation, and evaluation skills to provide services that
includes recreation therapy, leisure
education and recreation participation. It has been my experience,
however that many CTRSs do not
take full advantage of the MDS 2.0
Section T1a, recreation therapy.
Facilities that have a CTRS on staff
should revisit this opportunity to
increase chances for reimbursement, professionalism, purpose and
validity. Consider offering these
treatment-oriented recreation therapy services, beyond the general
activity program. To download a
free sample Physician Order Form
by Re-Creative Resources Inc.
please click here. If you are providing recreation therapy or are considering doing so, Re-Creative Resources Inc. has also developed a
one-page form that tracks the recreational therapy services provided
AUGUST 2007
and includes: the purpose, the scope
of service, treatment time, TR Services by category, and a space for
weekly progress notes. To purchase
the Recreation Therapy Daily
Treatment Log click here.
The CTRS plays a significant role
working with specialized populations in long-term care and subacute facilities. For example, subacute patients may greatly benefit
from recreation therapy services
and leisure education to ensure the
patient develops and retains a
healthy leisure lifestyle when he/
she returns to the community. Specialized leisure education programs,
support groups, and community integration programs are critical for
short term patients. Other specialized units may include: dementia
units respirators/ventilator units,
HIV/Aids, pediatric LTC, etc.
To find out more about becoming a
Certified Recreation Therapist Specialist, please visit NCTRC or call
NCTRC at 845-639-1439 and talk
with a Credentialing Specialist.
Page 15
for individuals working in longterm care. The new edition expands
the information on MDS version
2.0 (including Section T) and information on the Prospective Payment
System.
Innovations: A Recreation Therapy
Approach to Restorative Programs
by Dawn R. De Vries and Julie M.
Lake. Innovations integrates recreation therapy and restorative nursing
to make a significant improvement
in the residents' lives.
(Support Groups—Continued from page 9)
References
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services. (December 2002). CMS’s
RAI version
2.0 manual, pp 3-314 & 3-215.
For wonderful ideas and suggestions on how to run your support
group please visit
www.njgroups.org, The New Jersey
Self Help Group Clearing House or
American Self Help Group Clearing
House http://selfhelpgroups.org or
http://mentalhelp.net/selfhelp/
The New Jersey web site has fantastic resources, such as; How To
start a self help group, structuring a
meeting, finding a guest speaker,
ground rules, possible discussion
questions, how to keep the meeting
upbeat, providing mutual support,
group evaluations, getting the members involved, over coming group
and member issues, facilitating the
group, etc. If you have never run a
group this is the best web site to go
for lots of information. You should
purchase a 3 ring binder and
download the information and place
in a notebook. In this notebook,
you should place one of every fact
sheet listed on the Alzheimer’s Association so you have a clean master. As you find articles and other
resources, add those to your notebook.
Society. (1998). Manual for Recreation therapy in long term care
facilities, (2nd ed.). Ashburn, Virginia: NTRS.
Society. (October 14, 2000). Definition of therapeutic recreation. Retrieved June 9, 2007, from http://
www.nrpa.org/content/
default.aspx?documentId=949
Recommended Reading
Therapeutic Recreation Specialists,
a great article about Recreational
Therapists written by Karen C.
Wenzel, CTRS, CPRP
Recreational Therapy Handbook of
Practice: ICF-Based Diagnosis and
Treatment Heather R. Porter, Joan
Burlingame available through Idyll
Arbor.
Long Term Care for Activity Professionals, Recreational Therapists
and Social Services Professionals,
Fourth Edition by Elizabeth Best
Martini, Mary Anne Weeks,
Priscilla Wirth. This is a great book
Vol. 03, No. 08
Society. (2007). National Therapeutic Recreation Week. Retrieved
June 9, 2007, from http://
www.nrpa.org/content/
default.aspx?documentId=4839
Peterson, C.A. and S.L. Gunn.
Therapeutic recreation program
design: Principles and procedures.
2nd ed. Englewood Cliff: PrenticeHall, 1984
Copyright Kimberly Grandal, 2007.
All rights reserved.
will be discussing to each participant. Each time you meet, discuss
one of the fact sheets. Be sure to
have a sign in sheet and write down
the topic on the sign in sheet so you
will remember what you discussed.
Do not give out names, phone numbers or addresses of the members of
your support group. If they want to
provide that information to another
member of the group, they will.
Another resource is the Closed
Captioned Media. They have a free
catalogue and free in-service vid(Continued on page 16)
AUGUST 2007
Page 16
(Support Groups—Continued from page 15)
eos. They will mail the videos to
you at no charge. Their web site is
www.cfv.org
You should have at least two support group facilitators so one can
fill in should you not be able to attend the group. Be sure to keep an
updated list of members names, addresses, phone numbers, cell numbers and email addresses. Always
obtain an emergency contact number in the event of an emergency.
You never know when a member
may fall ill.
Anyone can be a volunteer support
group facilitator as it requires, commitment, patience, good listening
skills, organization and compassion. If you are presenting a topic
that requires specific knowledge be
sure to read about the topic before
the meeting. If you want to start a
support group and don’t want to run
it by yourself, reach out to the Social worker, nurse or facility clergy
to assist you with the group. Remember, you are only the facilitator
and it’s your job as the facilitator to
insure that the group runs smoothly.
You will find the benefits to the
participants are many but what you
receive in return for being a volunteer facilitator is priceless. - END
HEAVEN, I'M IN HEAVEN
serve this?"
Three guys died together in a terrible accident. Fortunately, they went
to heaven.
The Blonde says, "I don't know
about you, but I just stepped on a
duck."
St. Peter says, "We only have one
rule here: Don't step on the ducks,
as they are God's favorite creation."
They enter heaven and see ducks
everywhere, and it's almost impossible not to step on a duck. The first
guy accidentally steps on one, and
soon here comes St. Peter with the
ugliest woman you've ever seen. St.
Peter chains them together and
says, "Your punishment is to be
chained to this ugly woman forever."
The next day the second guy steps
on a duck, and sure enough, St. Peter comes with another real ugly
woman and chains them together.
Seeing this, the third guy is very,
very careful. He goes for months
and doesn't step on any ducks. Then
one day, St. Peter comes along with
this beautiful woman, a blue-eyed
blonde, very young and very sexy.
He chains them together and leaves
without saying a word.
The man remarks, "Wow! This is
great! I wonder what I did to de-
DEAD TED
Two elderly women meet at the
launderette after not seeing one another for some time. After inquiring
about each other's health, one asked
how the other's husband was doing.
"Oh! Ted died last week. He went
out to the garden to dig up a cabbage for dinner, had a heart attack,
and dropped down dead right there
in the middle of the vegetable
patch!"
"Oh dear! I'm so very sorry," replied her friend, "What did you
do?"
"Opened a can of peas instead."
Activity Director Today is a
FREE monthly publication of
The Activity Director’s Office website.
Introducing...
Our e-mail address is:
[email protected]
Copyright 2007
The Activity Director’s Office
All rights reserved.
Vol. 03, No. 08
AUGUST 2007
Page 17
Following is Your Free Facility Newsletter
The following four pages contain a prewritten facility newsletter which you
may use as your own. It is intended to
help make your departmental responsibilities time saving and cost effective.
All you need to do is put your title on the
front and your address on the back.
Suggestions for the
Effective Use of Your
Newsletter
This newsletter concept is the
result of several years of preparation and
the generous support of the sponsors
whose advertisements are contained within
its pages. Because all of the material in the
newsletter is copyright free, you may feel
assured that the publishing and distributing
of your free newsletter is legal.
•
•
MAILING
(an excellent activity for your residents)
•
PREPRINT
After you have downloaded your newsletter you have several choices to make before printing it.
•
•
•
First type or paste the title of your
newsletter into the blank area of the
front page mast.
On the mailing page insert your facility’s name and address in the upper
left corner where it says “From:”.
Prepare any printed material you may
have for insertion into the newsletter.
At a minimum we suggest you prepare
your monthly activity calendar on one
side of an 8.5”x11” sheet or paper. On
the other side you may enter residents
facts and figures (new admissions,
birthdays, residents who went home,
deaths). Also, on the back of the calendar page you may want to advertise
upcoming activities and events, a management roster and other items of interest specific to your facility.
PRINTING
•
If you decide to print your newsletter
on your facility copier you may print
the newsletter on 8.5”x11” sheets of
paper. However, it is far more profesVol. 03, No. 08
sional looking to use 17” x 11” sheets
(this size is larger than legal size paper, but can be hand fed into most
modern printers).
If you use a print shop have them print
your newsletter on 17”x11” paper.
They will have a variety of colors for
both your paper and ink. You can
expect to pay more for color ink. If
you decide to print your newsletter on
color paper, avoid using dark colors
and extremely bright colors (e.g. fluorescents), they are too difficult to read.
If you take it to the print shop they
will also print and insert your extra
material and fold your newsletter for
you. One fold makes your newsletter
ready for hand outs. Two folds prepares the newsletter for mailing.
•
•
•
•
To prepare your newsletter for mailing, it must be folded twice so the
mailing face is showing on the outside.
Each piece you plan to mail must be
sealed twice on the loose page edge.
Use 1/2” pieces of transparent tape
(you can purchase seals at most office
supply stores if you wish).
Write or stick your address labels
where it says “To:”.
Place postage in the upper right hand
corner. First class postage will pay for
your newsletter and at least two
8.5”x11” insertions.
Your newsletter is now ready to mail.
The Post Office appreciates it if you
pre-sort your zip codes and bundle the
newsletters with rubber bands.
BULK MAILING
With bulk mail you can save a bundle on
postage. However, you must set up an
account with the post office, mail at least
200 newsletters at a time, presort your
mail, prepare a billing form and deliver the
newsletters to the post office. Although it
sounds complicated, it becomes routine
after you have done it a couple of times.
facility, we recommend that you make an
extensive mailing list including these listed
below. The more newsletters you circulate, the more successful your marketing
will be.
•
All responsible parties
•
Seniors at home
•
Banks
•
Hospital discharge planners
•
Nursing homes
•
Adult day care centers
•
Churches
•
Home health agencies
•
Federal, State and local social service agencies
•
Social organizations and clubs
•
Business organizations
•
Corporate headquarters
•
Area schools
•
Area radio stations
•
Area television stations
•
Area newspapers
•
Area businesses
TIMING
For timely distribution, your newsletter
will always be available to you at the first
of the preceding month. It should be published by the last week of the month and
mailed prior to the first of the month the
newsletter is dated.
DISTRIBUTION
For the most effective marketing of your
AUGUST 2007
Volume 11, Number 08
AUGUST 2007
Skin Care Secrets for Seniors
(ARA) - Caring for aging skin involves far more than fighting wrinkles and age spots. Skin health from protection against UV rays to
proper wound care - plays a vital
role in overall health for senior
Americans.
Skin is the body's first line
of protection against
harm. It shields us from
infection, impact and the
environment. "Age brings
a number of changes that
can compromise the skin's
ability to protect us," says
Cynthia Fleck, a registered nurse and vice president of clinical marketing
for Advanced Skin and
Wound Care at Medline,
which manufactures skin
care products and educational resources for seniors.
"As the skin ages it becomes thinner, less resilient and much drier,"
Fleck explains. "The layers of skin
can easily separate, tearing the paper-like upper-most area called the
epidermis. The skin cells do not
'turn over,' or replenish themselves
as quickly as when we are young.
Therefore, the old skin cells become clumped and do not function
as efficiently as young, healthy skin
cells do."
Fleck offers the following advice
on how to care for aging skin:
* "Drying is the single largest skin
problem among the aged," says
Fleck. She recommends avoiding a
daily shower or bath, which can
contribute to dry skin. Instead, opt
for gentle cleansing with soap and
surfactant-free (detergent-free)
cleansers of the kind that do not
need to be rinsed. These cleansers
do the job of removing dirt and
natural oils, but do not impact the
natural acid balance of mature skin.
* Moisturizing on a daily basis is
essential since older skin cannot
retain moisture as well as young
skin. "There are new, advanced skin
care products that actually nourish
the skin from the outside in, deliv-
ering amino acids (proteins), vitamins, antioxidants and ingredients
that are gentle and soothing, making the skin more resilient and
strengthening it," says Fleck.
* Take care to avoid bumps that can
tear the skin, or caustic substances
that can disrupt the skin's ability to
protect. Immobile seniors who must
use adult diapers should
have special care taken to
keep them clean and free of
irritants. "Barrier products
that contain protectants like
dimethicone and other silicones, as well as zinc oxide,
can help protect the skin
from these issues," Fleck
says.
* Continue to protect your
skin from the sun. Melanocytes, the skin cells that protect us from the sun, do not
work as well as we age. As a
result, older skin burns easily. Stay out of the sun as much as
possible, and when out wear protective clothing, wide-brimmed hats
and sun screen
* Be aware of special skin care
needs that often accompany some
common diseases, such as diabetes.
For example, diabetics need to take
particular care in protecting their
skin, especially on extremities.
* Avoid strong antibacterial soaps
that may have high pH, which can
(Skin—Continued from page 1)
further dry aging skin. Astringents
and products that contain alcohol
can also be too harsh and damaging
for older skin.
"Many seniors may not know what
products they need and often can't
get out of the house to get them,"
Fleck says. "The Internet has made
it easier to order products online
and keep them handy for daily skin
care, but not all seniors have online
access or know how to use the
Internet."
"Health care professionals are a
great source of information and can
relay simple instructions for daily
skin care and protection while suggesting new products that may help
seniors in their routine," she says.
To learn more about skin care products, visit www.medline.com/
woundcare.
AUGUST IS…
Harvest Month
National Eye Exam Month
National Romance
Awareness Month
Cataract Awareness Month
Fair Month
International Clown Month
Lemon Month
Maine Lobster Month
National Catfish Month
National Foot Health Month
National Golf Month
National Mustard Month
National Parks Month
Peach Month
Relaxation Month
Watermelon Month
Paws for Thought:
Pet Products and Services Go Upscale
(ARA) - You've probably seen the
pampered pooches many celebutantes of the moment are sporting
like the latest accessories. You may
even know there are about 90 million pet cats and 73 million pet
dogs in the United States. But
unless you're up on the hottest pet
product trends -- like including
high-end doggie dishes on your bridal registry -- you just can't call
yourself a true pet aficionado.
There's no question Americans have
gone to the dogs and cats, with 63
percent of U.S. households owning
a pet. In 2006, pet owners spent
$38.5 billion on their pets, according to the American Pet Manufacturers Association. The organization estimates that figure will approach $41 billion in 2007. Highend, luxury items and products account for a growing percentage of
the total spent on pet products.
Hot trends in the pet product world
include:
same is part of the excitement of
starting their new life together."
The products exemplify the trend
towards pet items that share all the
high-end features humans favor in
products for themselves -- form,
function and beauty. The popular
dog treat jar is a cream ceramic jar
with a dog bone for a handle, and
the words "good dog" engraved on
the base. The cat jar lid features a
kitten on a pillow and a playful
hearts and kittens motif on the base.
Arthur Court's pet items are sold
through top retailers. To learn
more, visit www.arthurcourt.com.
* Arthur Court isn't the only renowned, upscale manufacturer to
enter the pet products market. Hair
care giants Paul Mitchell and Origins have both launched lines of pet
grooming products. Omaha Steaks
offers gourmet pet treats.
* Exclusive hotel chains like Four
Seasons and Westin welcome most
* Brides adding high-end pet
items to their registries, like
Tuscan themed pet bowls
and treat jars from Arthur
Court, a San-Franciscobased company known
world-wide for its sand-cast
aluminum serveware. "In
some cases, these are people
who collect Arthur Court
serveware and want the pet
products to make their collections complete," says Arthur Court. "Others, however, simply want to start out
married life with new, elegant and beautiful possessions around them, and ensuring their pets have the
Weighty Issue: Heavy Wheelchairs, Walkers Hinder Caregivers
(ARA) - As baby boomers continue
to gray and medical science extends
life, many 50- and 60-somethings
are caring for their parents at a time
when the boomers themselves are
slowing down from age-related ailments. Mobility issues become
even more challenging when caregivers find it difficult to meet the
physical demands of their roles.
The heft of many modern assistive
devices is a good example of the
kind of obstacles facing both seniors and their caregivers, experts
say. "The average wheelchair
weighs around 38 pounds," notes
Richard Derks of Medline, a leading manufacturer of wheelchairs
and other assistive devices for seniors. "Putting most wheelchairs in a
car trunk means you have to lift that
38 pounds from the ground and up
about 3 feet an average of four
times per trip."
Walkers can create a similar problem for seniors who are ambulatory
with the aid of the assistive device.
Most walkers weigh 16 pounds or
more. "That may seem light, but for
seniors with mobility issues lifting
that much weight into a car can be a
real challenge," Derks says.
Caregivers looking after an aging
parent at home may be reluctant to
take seniors out on non-essential
trips because of this weight issue.
Yet, that type of trip - to a restaurant, beauty salon, visiting family
and friends, etc. - greatly enhances
the quality of life for an otherwise
home-bound senior.
"The sheer difficulty of managing a
wheelchair often means caregivers
run all the errands alone and don't
take their loved ones out as much as
they might like to," Derks says.
"There is a physical and cognitive
impact for the elderly."
Physically, mobility issues slow
rehabilitation after a health setback.
The more homebound seniors are,
the less exercise they get. Cognitively, the senior may begin to feel
increasingly dependent, falling into
a more dependant role than they
might want.
The good news is manufacturers of
assistive devices are addressing this
problem by producing lighter
weight wheelchairs and other accessories. Aluminum transport chairs
cut the weight down to about 23
pounds. And Medline's Freedom
Transport chair weighs less than 15
pounds, a full 25 percent lighter
than other transport chairs and 60
percent lighter than a standard
wheelchair. Its convenient features
-- cup holder and seatbelt for the
user, bottle holder for the caregiver,
and key ring, cell phone pocket and
identification holder -- all speak to
the designers' efforts to create a
wheelchair that is practical and
functional for both the caregiver
and patient.
Medline's foray into lighter weight
Manufacturers such as Medline are creating lighter weight walkers and wheelchairs
that are easier for seniors and their
caregivers to manage.
assistive devices has been so successful, the company is now
launching a lighter-weight walker,
dubbed the Freedom Rollator.
Weighing only 10 pounds, the
walker has been designed to serve
users from 4 feet 10 inches to 6 feet
2 inches tall. It comes packaged in a
removable, zippered, waterresistant bag with comfortable
shoulder strap for easy portability.
To learn more about Medline's
lighter weight assistive products,
visit www.medline.com.
small pets. Many of these petfriendly upscale hotels have special
programs in place to pamper pets
with gourmet meals, plush beds and
doggie spa-style treatments.
a bowl of kibble served in a kennel.
Boarding facilities now take pets on
a daily basis, offering daycare-style
educational, exercise and training
programs for pets while owners are
at work.
groomers for a simple clip and dip.
Now they go to the pet spa for full salon treatments, including hair conditioning, highlights, nail color and care,
massage and body treatments. Some
human spas have even begun offering
treatments for pets and their owners.
* Doggie daycare has gone beyond
* Pampered pets no longer go to the
(Pets—Continued from page 2)
Place
Postage
Here
STICK IT
Two elderly women were eating
breakfast in a restaurant one morning. Ethel noticed something funny
about Mabel's ear and she said,
"Mabel, did you know you've got a
suppository in your left ear?"
Mabel answered, "I have? suppository?"
She pulled it out and stared at it.
Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you
saw this thing. Now I think I know
where my hearing aid is.
KNOCK ON WOOD
Three sisters ages 72, 74, and 76
live in a house together. One night
the 76 year old draws a bath. She
puts her foot in and pauses. She
yells down the stairs "was I getting
in or out of the bath?".
The 74 year old yells back "I don't
know. I'll come up and see."
She starts up the stairs and pauses.
Then she yells "was I going up the
stairs or down?"
The 72 year old is sitting at the
kitchen table having tea listening to
her sisters. She shakes her head and
says "I sure hope I never get that
forgetful."
She knocks on wood for good
measure. She then yells "I'll come
up and help both of you as soon as I
see who's at the door".
WHAT WAS THAT
AGAIN?
Two elderly ladies had been friends
for many decades. Over the years
they had shared all kinds of activi-
ties and adventures. Lately, their
activities had been limited to meeting a few times a week to play
cards.
One day they were playing cards
when one looked at the other and
said, "Now don't get mad at me. I
know we've been friends for a long
time,but I just can't think of your
name. I've thought and thought, but
I can't remember it. Please tell me
what your name is."
Her friend glared at her. For at least
three minutes she just stared and
glared at her. Finally she said,
"How soon do you need to know ?
Courtesy SuddenlySenior.com

August - Activity Director Today

Transcription

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